For the Throne
Talking about the Trailer for the Final Season of Game of Thrones
Eight years. Tens of millions of fans the world over. A show that helped define a decade of TV. A story that can stand among the greatest in the history of mankind. In just one month, its the beginning of the end for Game of Thrones.
But before we do all of that, I want to talk about the trailer for the final season and what I think it could mean for the characters, while reflecting on how far they’ve come for the GoT Final Season
Arya Stark
Arya Stark is, and has always been, a fighter. From the beginning it was clear that she was not meant to live the kind of life that society expected of her. She’d rather swordfight with the guys than knit or that stuff.
Season one onwards, Arya went through a trauma conga line, losing her pet wolf, her father, mother, and brother, sometimes right in front of her. Seeing all this trauma forced Arya to grow up fast. With the help of the Faceless Men, Arya’s become a skilled fighter and assassin. Not going to lie, watching her kill Walder Frey and most of his sons was a satisfying moment
In the trailer, Arya claims that she looks forward to seeing this new face of Death, most likely meaning the White Walker. As good a fighter as she is, though, she’s never been in an actual battle before. Given how the first shots in the trailer are of her covered in blood and sweat, running through the darkened halls of Winterfell, I fear she may be in over her head.
Arya Stark is a survivor, but not even she may be ready for the White Walker. But remember what Syrio Forel told her all those years ago about they say to Death: “Not today.” Whatever comes next, she’ll go down fighting.
Bran Stark
You can barely even recognize the bright and energetic young boy that Bran Stark was at the start of the show. He lost the use of his legs thanks to Jaime throwing him out of the tower, and was ready to give up on life. Then he discovered his warging and greenseering powers, which gave him a new purpose in life.
After journeying Beyond the Wall, Bran trained under the Three-Eyed Raven to become his successor, and it shows. The experience of viewing so many past events has left him with few emotions. When Sansa tearfully hugs after seeing him for the first time in years, he didn’t even react.
Even so, I think that Bran still cares about his family. He certainly cares about the well-being of mankind, as he seems to be ready to use his powers to fight the White Walkers. I only hope that he can make it through the Long Night that is to come.
Jaime Lannister
There is no getting around it: when viewers (and book readers) first met him, Jaime Lannister came off as an arrogant pretty boy. Who was also in an incestuous relationship with his sister. While he is pretty arrogant, it’s not unjustified given his skill as a swordsman.
The events of the show, though, took him down several pegs. Losing to Robb Stark and enduring captivity at the hands of the Northerners, and then getting his hand cut off by the Boltons stooges. It humbled him a lot. It also revealed that he’s not as bad as everyone thought.
His infamous betrayal and killing of the Mad King was explained in a way that was not only understandable, but could even be justified. The events of the show, particularly his friendship with Brienne, steer him to becoming a man who keeps his promises. It’s this new outlook that leads Jaime to finally leave Cersei out of disgust for her actions. And I think that it’s about time.
As we see in the trailer, Jaime has kept his promise to fight for the living. Alongside the Northerners, Unsullied, and Dothraki he’s fought against, no less! And from the look of things, he’s going to be fighting right in the middle of the war against the White Walkers. He’s still one of the best swordsman in Westeros, but I fear that he’ll be vulnerable fighting with one hand. Jaime’s already come this far, but this fight may be his last.
Cersei Lannister
I’m going to be blunt here: I want Cersei to die. I’ve only been watching the show for two measly years. Other fans have had the show’s entire run to hate her; two decades if they started out reading the books. She is one of the few fictional characters that I loathe with every fiber of my being.
Cersei has always been a bad person, but she’s somehow gotten even worse during the show’s run. We could devote an entire list of all the horrible things she’s done, but near the top was blowing up the Sept of Baelor and killing hundreds of people. Not even the threat of the White Walkers is enough to curb her selfish narcissism. She plans on sacrificing half of Westeros to the Army of the Dead if it means she can keep her throne.
It seems that she’s holding true to her intentions in the trailer, remaining in King’s Landing where her only allies left are Qyburn, her Queensguard, and Euron. Euron seems to have hired the Golden Company like they planned, so she’s going to sit in King’s Landing and drink her wine while Westeros fights for survival.
Cersei Lannister’s managed to outlive most of her enemies and allies, but with Jaime gone, she has so few left to her. A lot of people are hoping to see her die, but the Mad Queen has cheated death before. I still hope she dies, though.
Rhaegal and Drogon
Considering how they’re dragons and not humans, it can be easy to forget how Drogon and Rhaegal are as much of characters as the rest of the cast. Since they hatched at the end of Season 1, the two dragons have grown from adorable little lizards into young adults ready to fight and die to protect their mother, Daenaerys.
The dragons are nigh unbeatable opponents, but as everyone learned last season, they’re not invincible. Viserion’s death at the hands of the Night King was a shock to the audience and to those present to witness it. If Daenaerys is mourning the loss of one of her children, then imagine how her two remaining dragons must feel.
Viserion’s death would have been the first time the dragons would know what it means to be truly powerless. They can wipe out entire armies, but they couldn’t save their brother. Now that brother has been reanimated as a wight to serve the Night King. They must be furious.
The two dragons are seen several times throughout the trailer, driving home the point that they will play a major role in the Great War. Both of them seem eager to fight, but will they be able to defeat their own brother, if necessary?
Daenaerys Targaryen
Daenaerys Targaryen has come so far since Season One. Gone is the timid girl who cowered under the yolk of her abusive older brother. In her place stands a proud Queen who’s determined to take back the Iron Throne, and will use everything she has to do so. At least, that’s how it was at first.
Since she arrived in Westeros, Dany’s learned of the ancient evil that’s threatening to overrun all of Westeros, and that she may be one of the people prophesied to save humanity. Now she’s seen the White Walkers, and watched as one of her beloved dragons was slain like it was nothing. Not even she can fight them alone, and will stand with those she once fought for the sake of the Seven Kindgoms.
The trailer seemed to be vague about how she will fight in the Great War, but it is certain that she will fight. Whether she will survive, though, is another matter entirely. People are saying that either she or Jon will end up dying in the fight against the White Walkers. And that doesn’t even bring up the elephant in the room..
Jon Snow
From the Bastard of Winterfell to the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch to the King in the North. Jon Snow has been through a lot over the show’s run, and has come into his own as a leader. More than anyone, he knows how dangerous the White Walkers are and what is at stake, and has devoted himself to defeating them. But there are things about Jon that not even he knows.
The end of Season Six confirmed the longtime fan theory that Jon was actually the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. The end of Season Seven built on that even further by revealing that Lyanna was never kidnapped. She and Rhaegar had fallen in love and secretly gotten married. Jon’s no bastard: he’s the rightful King of Westeros.
As shown in the trailer, Jon is going to be fighting on the front lines alongside his allies. If anyone can defeat the Night King and save the Seven Kingdoms, its Jon Snow. Even so, fans are worried that Jon may end up giving his life in order to save Westeros from an eternal winter. That, and there’s the fact that he and his aunt Dany are in love with each other. And that’s just history repeating itself.
In Conclusion
At this point, I think it’s fair to just put every character left alive on the chopping block. As we have seen in Game of Thrones, no one, not even a main character, is safe from death. And now death is at the gates of the living.
There are plenty of other characters that I did not have time to cover in this, but I had to limit this to the ones who were most prominent in the trailer. Whatever happens in April, history will be made.
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